Page 69 of Forever After All

The contempt in his voice irritates me and I grit my teeth as I walk up to him. I stand beside him, my eyes roaming over the board members sitting here today.

Matthew looks at me, his jaws clenched. “You called the meeting?”

My father laughs and shakes his head. “That’s impossible,” he says. “I gave her shares toyou.”

I grin at Matthew. “You’re not half as dumb as you look,” I tell him. “But then again, you’ve proven yourself to be quite the mastermind, huh? Looks are deceiving after all.”

He blinks, a calculative glint in his eyes. Out of everyone, I’m going to enjoy taking him down most.

“I have gathered you all here today to vote on the position of CEO,” I say.

My brother smiles in amusement and shakes his head, leaning back in his seat, unworried. “You’ve managed to buy what? Ten percent of our shares? I’ll entertain you today, but let this be a lesson. The next time you waste my time, I’ll make you pay.”

I merely nod at him. It’s not his turn just yet.

“I’m calling to a vote the matter of terminating Alaric Rousseau’s position as CEO,” I say.

Matthew sighs and shakes his head. “Those voting in favor of having him remain in his position, please raise your hand,” he says, slowly raising his own, his tone mocking. He turns to look around the table, his eyes flashing with satisfaction when he finds every single hand raised. He looks at me in amusement, and I smile.

My earpiece crackles, Elliot’s voice coming through. “Your mother should be walking in any second now,” he says. “You’re good to go.”

“All those voting in favor ofremovinghim from his position, please raise your hand,” I say, raising my own.

Matthew laughs, his arms spread. “Can’t you count, Elena?” he asks. “The vote is done. You got your ten seconds of attention, now get out.”

“It’s not quite done yet,” a soft voice says behind me.

I turn to find my mother walking in on Alec’s arm. Her eyes find Matthew’s, and the pain I see in them kills me.

I grab a stack of papers from my bag and throw them onto the table, papers scattering everywhere. I glance at my mother, and she smiles at me as she raises her hand.

“Can’t you count?” I ask Matthew. “Between my mother and I, we own sixty percent of the shares.”

He blanches, his eyes on my mother. He looks like he’s seeing a ghost, and it angers me even further. I grit my teeth and turn to my father, who is looking at my mother the exact same way.

“You’re done,” I tell him. I nod at the security team we brought with us, and they help my father out of his seat. He barely even notices, his eyes on my mother.

“This is impossible,” Matthew says, looking panicked.

I smile at him. “Nowthe vote is done,” I tell him. I nod at my men, and they walk up to him. “Restrain him,” I tell them.

Matthew struggles. “You can’t removeme,” he yells. “I’m still a shareholder.”

I frown at him. “You mean the shares youinheritedfrom a woman whoisn’tdead? Yeah, it doesn’t work that way.”

He kicks at his chair as my men restrain him, and I shake my head. “Letthisbe a reminder. What goes around comes around, Matthew. Not just your words—your every action. Iwillmake you pay. This company, your shares, they should be the least of your worries.”

I nod at Aiden, and he hands me a hard drive. I clench my jaw as I look at it, my eyes finding my mother’s. She smiles, her smile bittersweet. I walk up to her and wrap my arm around her just as the police walk in.

Matthew freezes when he sees them, his face draining of color. They stop in front of him.

“Matthew Rousseau,” they say. “You’re under arrest for the attempted murder of Sarah Rousseau. Anything you say can and will be used in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.”

I shake my head at him. “Attempted murder is but one of your crimes, Matthew. The doctors and nurses that were on the Rousseau payroll? The ones that knowingly kept my mother in an induced coma? The police have certified confessions from them. They’ll be testifying against you.”

A tear drops down my mother’s cheek as they slap the cuffs around his wrist, his head hanging low. I tighten my grip on my mother as they lead him past us, my heart heavy. I’ve gone through years of us growing apart, but to my mother, it must feel like she’s losing her son all of a sudden.

I inhale deeply before addressing the shocked board members. None of them have said a single word. They’re probably scandalized, and it won’t take long for rumors about today’s events to start spreading—exactly what I wanted. Even if somehow, Matthew gets away with what he did to my mother, his reputation will forever be tarnished.

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